Department for Transport

Noise: Pollution Control

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department applies the World Health Organisation's night noise guidelines for Europe; and whether these guidelines have been broken since May 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The World Health Organisation’s (WHOs) guidelines for night noise in Europe relate to outside noise levels from all sources and not just transport.At a national level, noise is managed through the implementation of the Government’s policy on noise, set out in the Noise Policy Statement for England. Its vision is to “promote good health and a good quality of life through the effective management of noise within the context of Government policy on sustainable development”. The Noise Policy Statement for England recognises that it is not possible to have a single objective noise-based measure that is applicable to all sources of noise in all situations. This is because effect levels are likely to be different for different noise sources, different people and at different times.There are noise limits in place for motor vehicles and new railway rolling stock has to comply with noise limits set out in EU technical specifications. Civil aircraft using UK airports are subject to international noise certification standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.The Government restricts night flights at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports in order to limit noise. The Government’s stated objective for this regime is to limit and where possible reduce the number of people significantly affected by aircraft noise at night. This will be measured by the area and number of people within the night quota period contours and in particular the 55dBLAeq contour.

Invalid Vehicles: Accidents

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have been killed or seriously injured in accidents involving mobility scooters in each of the last five years; and how many of the people so killed or seriously injured were driving the scooter.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not hold comprehensive data on personal injury road accidents involving motorised mobility scooters. Data on this issue was first collected (on a non-mandatory basis) in 2011, with 1 out of 51 Police forces in Great Britain supplying data in 2011; 12 in 2012; and 24 in 2013. Across these forces, the number of reported personal injury road accidents involving mobility scooters and the number of drivers of these vehicles who were injured is given in table. The data for earlier years are not available.   The Department is working to obtain data on this issue from all forces by 2016. Number of casualties in reported accidents involving mobility scooters in Great Britain: 2011-2013   Severity 2011(1)2012(2)2013(3) Killed 015Serious 61726Slight 469133All severities 1087164 (1) Data from only 1 police force(2) Data from 12 police forces(3) Data from 24 police forces Number of mobility scooter drivers injured in reported accidents in Great Britain: 2011 -2013Severity 2011(1)2012(2)2013(3)  Killed 015Serious 41117Slight 142102All severities 554124 (1) Data from only 1 police force(2) Data from 12 police forces(3) Data from 24 police forces The increases in the numbers of casualties and drivers is related to the increase in the number of police forces providing the data. Until all forces provide data, the Department will not have any meaningful trend data.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Devolution: Greater Manchester

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who made the decision not to use the super-affirmative procedure for amending the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Order 2011; and on what basis that decision was made.

Kris Hopkins: Parliament made that decision during the passage of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. The Act requires the same process to be followed to make a change to an existing combined authority as for establishing a new combined authority. This includes approval to the Order by each House of Parliament through affirmative resolution.

Devolution: Greater Manchester

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how he has publicised the consultation on the proposal to amend the constitution of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Kris Hopkins: As was the case with previous consultations on combined authorities which this Government has undertaken, when launched we wrote to all of the statutory consultees and others whom, as statute provides, the Secretary of State considered it appropriate to consult. In this case, the statutory consultees are the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the ten local authorities within the Greater Manchester area, and other appropriate consultees were considered to be the local enterprise partnership and the Business Leadership Council. In addition the consultation document has been placed on the Government’s website and as the paper states “The Secretary of State will also have regard to any comments received from members of the public and others”.

Mayors: Greater Manchester

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has been consulted over the appointment of an interim mayor of Greater Manchester city-region.

Kris Hopkins: If the proposed Order enabling Greater Manchester to have an interim Mayor is approved, the appointment is a local matter for Greater Manchester.

Devolution: Greater Manchester

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many responses he has had to the consultation on the proposal to amend the constitution of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Kris Hopkins: The consultation has not closed; we will review the number in due course. The hon. Member is welcome to make her own representation given her interest in this topic.

Leasehold

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to improve the rights of leaseholders to hold building management companies to account.

Brandon Lewis: Leaseholders have existing wide-ranging rights to avoid or resolve disputes where the management of their property is concerned.Supported by two Codes of Management Practice, these include exercising the right to take over the management of their block; buying the freehold from the landlord; seeking the appointment of a manager from the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, and being consulted upon and challenging service charges. Property managers must also belong to one of three approved redress schemes. This provides leaseholders with a way of resolving many of the day-to-day disputes that occur, without resorting to a Tribunal or court.We are also looking at what further support can be offered to leaseholders. This includes what can be done to make it easier to gain statutory recognition of a tenants' association; increasing awareness of what it means to be a leaseholder; and updating the existing Codes of Practice.

Religious Buildings: Energy Performance Certificates

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the definition his Department uses for 'place of worship' is for the purpose of exemption from Energy Performance Certificates.

Stephen Williams: DCLG does not define the term, "buildings used as places of worship" but allows it to take its common sense meaning.However, those responsible for such buildings may wish to seek advice from their local weights and measures authority to ensure that they, as the relevant enforcement body, share the view that the building in question is exempt from the requirement to have an Energy Performance Certificate on sale or rent.

HM Treasury

Financial Services

Adam Afriyie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to encourage banks to offer their services to money service businesses.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK Government is committed to supporting a healthy and legitimate remittance sector, and ensuring that UK citizens are able to continue to remit funds safely to family abroad. That is why, in response to the withdrawal of banking services from the Money Service Business sector we set up an Action Group on Cross Border Remittances to address this issue. The group is monitoring changes to the market, has developed guidance for MSBs and banks and is promoting a shared understanding of risk. The group is also overseeing the development of a Safer Corridor to ensure the continued, secure flow of remittances to Somalia.   Treasury Ministers have been engaging closely with the banking industry both through the British Bankers Association and directly with those banks involved in this issue, including personally writing to and phoning a number of banks.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Welsh Language

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consideration he has given to adopting a Welsh language policy for his Department.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is fully committed to the Welsh language and to providing Government services in the Welsh language where there is demand for them. It is important that, in the non devolved areas sufficient support should be given to the Welsh language, and the Government is committed to ensuring this is done.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), along with other Government Departments, is not considered a ‘public body’ under the provisions of the Welsh Language Act (section 21), meaning that it is not required to prepare Welsh language schemes. No such scheme has therefore been published.The FCO did, however, produce a small number of marketing materials in Welsh as part of the GREAT campaign in 2014.

Pakistan

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Pakistani counterpart on the protection and maintenance of Jewish cemeteries in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens regardless of their faith. We raise this on a regular basis at a senior level with the authorities in Pakistan. The UK supports UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 which calls upon states to adopt measures and policies to promote the full respect for and protection of places of worship and religious sites, including cemeteries and shrines.

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Civil Service-wide Recruitment Freeze was introduced in May 2010, which limits new appointments to front-line and business critical roles only this usually means specialist roles. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is reducing UK based headcount by 10% in the current Spending Round.Recruitment agencies are used to recruit for positions that require specialist skills and expertise not available elsewhere in the organisation. The number of FCO staff who were employed through employment or recruitment agencies from 2010-11 onwards is:2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/1536 11 78 75 16Recruitment in 2012/13 increased as a result of a need to staff our recently established Corporate Services Centre in Milton Keynes. From 2013/14 onwards the data includes directly recruited summer and graduate interns.The FCO also has a separate contract in place with Hays Specialist Recruitment for the provision of temporary staff for essential frontline roles whilst internal recruitment processes take place. The number of temporary staff who were employed through recruitment agencies from 2010-11 onwards, on contracts of varying length, is:2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/1519 61 116 59 28

Cyprus

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2015 to Question 220624, what the powers vested in the three treaty Guarantor powers are in relation to the bodies with which they consult, by Article IV of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantor in respect of Cyprus.

Mr David Lidington: Article IV of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee states that, “In the event of a breach of the provisions of the present Treaty, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom undertake to consult together with respect to the representations or measures necessary to ensure observance of those provisions.” The Guarantor powers have no vested powers, under the Article IV of the Treaty of Guarantee, to consult with any external bodies. The UK meets its current obligations under the Treaty through supporting the UN-facilitated settlement process, which is aimed at achieving a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Cyprus

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2015 to Question 220624, what powers are available to the UN-facilitated settlement process to intervene in respect of the confiscation of property owned by Turkish Cypriots in Vasiliko in order to facilitate oil and gas explortation in Northern and Southern Cyprus.

Mr David Lidington: Property issues will be discussed by representatives of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities during the relevant chapter in the UN facilitated negotiations. It will be for the parties to decide when these issues will be discussed as part of the settlement process, and to agree a solution. The UK strongly supports the UN-facilitated process for a comprehensive settlement, which remains the best way to address the complex issues relating to the division of Cyprus, including issues of property ownership and access.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom's Report, Burma: Religious Freedom and Related Human Rights Violations are Hindering Broader Reforms, published in November 2014.

Mr Hugo Swire: We share the Commission’s concerns on freedom of religion in Burma, the situation of the Rohingya, the rise in hate speech and the draft faith-based legislation, along with how these are affecting Burma’s reform process. We have raised our concerns in detail on the proposed so-called ‘protection of race and religion’ laws both bilaterally and in company with our partners in the European Union. We work closely with civil society on these issues in Burma, particularly during our visits to Rakhine state, where the UK is one of the largest bilateral donors of humanitarian assistance. Our Annual Report on Human Rights details the full range of our concerns, and the actions we are taking to address them.

Venezuela

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Venezuelan counterpart on the human rights situation in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: Her Majesty's Ambassador in Caracas most recently discussed human rights with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister on 31 January. This follows his discussions with the Vice Foreign Minister on the same subject in December.I remain concerned about the situation in Venezuela. I have written to the Venezuelan government, and have discussed regional efforts to promote political dialogue in the country with Ministers from across Latin America.

Ecuador

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met with his Ecuadorian counterpart; what the content of discussions at that meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: In the last quarter, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have met the Ecuadorean Ministers of Foreign Trade, of Housing, and of Skills and Human Talent. In these meetings, they discussed a range of bilateral interests such as the EU-Ecuador FTA and education sector cooperation.

Guyana

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met with his Guyanese counterpart; what the content of discussions at that meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: My rt hon. Friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks), the former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Hague), met his Guyanese counterpart, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the eighth UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum on 16-17 June 2014, which she co-chaired. The two day event focussed on economic development, energy, education and security.The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend, the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), recently issued a statement on 8 January 2015 concerning Guyana’s recent prorogation (suspension) of Parliament, and we welcome President Ramotar’s subsequent announcement that national and regional elections will be held in Guyana on 11 May 2015.We will continue to engage regularly with Guyana on UK Government priorities.

Chile

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met with his Chilean counterpart; what the content of discussions at that meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: There are regular high level meetings between the UK and Chilean government. I last met my Chilean counterpart during the Presidential Inauguration in March 2014, where we discussed priorities for the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council, and ongoing cooperation between our two countries on a range of issues. I hosted the Ministers for Finance and Economy during Chile Day – an annual business investment event – in October 2014, and I hosted the Minister for Mines later that month, to discuss opportunities for British companies in the Chilean mining sector, during her visit for London Metals Week.

Brazil

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met with his Brazilian counterpart; what the content of discussions at that meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: I last spoke with my then Brazilian counterpart Eduardo Dos Santos, Vice Foreign Minister, in July 2014. We discussed a number of issues including the UK Brazil annual strategic dialogue, the BRICS Summit, Science without Borders and the UK's and Brazil’s priorities ahead of the UN Human Rights Council.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), spoke to his counterpart, Foreign Minister Vieira in January 2015, shortly after the latter's appointment. They plan to meet later this month at the UK Brazil annual strategic dialogue where they will discuss a wide range of foreign policy issues.

Iran

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Iranian counterpart in support of the American-Iranian pastor, Saeed Abedini, who is imprisoned in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain deeply concerned about the detention and treatment of Pastor Saeed Abedini. We have called publicly for the Iranian authorities to release him; and to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith. We also raise these issues in our bilateral contacts with Iran.

Northern Ireland Office

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff in her Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The information requested is shown below: YearNumber of Staff recruited through Employment/Recruitment Agencies2010/1102011/1202012/1342013/1402014/15 to 29/01/20150

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Department did not have a specific communications budget during the period requested. The Department did have a Press and Communications Team.The budgets, comprising staff and non-staff costs, for the financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 are shown below:  2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Budget £329,000£359,300£310,233£258,947£256,097

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Department does not have a departmental budget specifically for advertising. However, expenditure is incurred, mainly on public notices and recruitment for public office, and the totals are set out below:  2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15(to date)Expenditure£50,772£37,928£10,626£18,015£8,881

Attorney General

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments have been recruited through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Mr Robert Buckland: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer which I gave to question 217769 from the Hon Member for Manchester Central on 16th December 2014   http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=217769

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Arts: Government Assistance

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the amount of Government support received by the creative industries through fiscal relief on investment and grant programmes; and what proportion such support is of the support given to other sectors included in his Department's industrial strategy.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government have an excellent record of supporting UK creative industries, for example through fiscal relief, spending and programmes for the arts and culture, education and skills, digital and communications infrastructure, research and innovation, access to finance and international trade and investment. Following the success of UK film tax credits, which have generated billions in investment since 2010, we have introduced new corporation tax reliefs for high-end TV production, video games, animation and theatre. These targeted incentives are in addition to schemes such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Voluntary Capital Trusts (VCTs).   Information on support for UK creative industries through specific reliefs and programmes is available from the responsible departments and public bodies.   Through industrial strategy, the whole of Government is working in partnership with industry in a range of sectors to set the long-term direction needed to give businesses the confidence to invest.

Bank Services

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which trustees or directors of organisations which were subject to the closure of their banking facilities have subsequently become trustees or directors of other organisations which have received public funds in the last five years.

Jo Swinson: The Government does not hold this information.

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) publishes the core departmental advertising and publicity costs in the BIS Annual Report and Accounts. The costs recorded in each of the last four annual reports are as follows:   2013/14: £8,774,000 2012/13: £1,449,000 2011/12: £2,402,000 2010/11: £587,000   The annual report for 2014/15 is due to be published later this year.   The spend in 2013/14 was principally due to the launch of the first wave of advertising for the Business is GREAT campaign, which has successfully highlighted Government support available to businesses, assisting many to find the help they need to grow.

Citizens Advice

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have volunteered to work for Citizens Advice Bureaux in each of the last 10 years.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not hold this information. Citizens Advice has provided the following data on volunteer numbers but this is only available for 7 of the past 10 years.   Financial YearNo. volunteers in bureauxNo. trusteesTotal volunteers across bureaux2007-0815,8254,25020,0752008-0917,3094,02421,3332009-1017,8193,66821,4872010-1118,1413,52521,6662011-1218,9003,26422,1642012-1319,0502,98722,0372013-1418,6003,00021,600   All Trustees are volunteers.

Citizens Advice

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of paid staff working for Citizens Advice Bureaux in each of the last 10 years.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not hold this information. Citizens Advice has provided the following data on the number of paid staff working in bureaux across the network but this is only available for 7 of the past 10 years.   Financial YearNo. paid staff in bureaux2007-086,0352008-096,3592009-107,0272010-116,8212011-126,6432012-136,3802013-146,400   Accurate electronic recording of data on staff numbers across the bureaux network has only been possible in the last 7 years, prior to which statistics were collected across the network either manually or in a variety of different data systems.

Citizens Advice

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what criteria his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Jo Swinson: Central Government does not fund Citizens Advice Bureaux. It funds the umbrella body for the service only. The effectiveness of delivery is a matter between the umbrella body and its member bureaux.   Bureaux are audited both for quality of advice (QAA) and against the standards of membership. Bureaux who fail their audit are referred to the Membership and Standards Committee – a sub-committee of the main Citizens Advice Trustee Board. The Membership and Standards Committee’s annual report for the 2013-14 financial year reports that the quality of advice provided in bureaux is good and continuing to improve despite the challenges they are facing with the current average QAA score achieved at 74%.

Citizens Advice

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support Citizens Advice Bureaux in their recruitment of volunteers.

Jo Swinson: The Department provides core funding to Citizens Advice, the umbrella body for the bureaux service in England and Wales. That funding allows for the provision of essential central services to the bureaux network including IT, information, training and the recruitment of volunteers. BIS has maintained its core funding to Citizens Advice over the Spending Review period.   I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to Question UIN 222641 which shows volunteer numbers have increased by 7.6 per cent over the past 7 years, with only a 2 per cent decline in numbers between 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Citizens' Advice Bureaux

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support the Citizens Advice Bureaux in retaining their capability and capacity to offer appropriate advice to their users.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) provides core funding to Citizens Advice, the umbrella body for the Citizens Advice Bureaux service in England and Wales. That core funding allows for the provision of essential central services to the bureaux network including IT, information, training and the recruitment of volunteers and the auditing of bureaux to ensure they retain their capability and capacity to deliver.   BIS has also provided Citizens Advice with additional funding totalling £15.55m over the past two years to enable the service to invest in its digital offering to enable clients who are able to seek advice through alternative channels, such as telephone, email and self-help via the Adviceguide website, easing pressure on bureaux to deliver face to face advice to those who most need it. BIS has also maintained its core funding to Citizens Advice over the Spending Review period.

Citizens Advice

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds about the number of Citizens Advice Bureaux field offices in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) Yorkshire, (e) Kirklees local authority area and (f) Huddersfield constituency.

Jo Swinson: The Department does not hold this information. Citizens Advice has provided the following data on the number of field offices, including bureaux and outreach services. Outreaches are not bureaux in their own right, but constitute places where services are delivered such as GP surgeries, libraries etc. Services are also delivered from another 1,000 ad-hoc locations on a one-off or short term basis. As these are not regularly provided services, the information is not captured by post code.   LocationNo. bureauNo. Outreach servicesTotalEngland and Wales6121,9602,572England5701,7542,324London50207257Yorkshire46173219Kirklees202Huddersfield constituency202

Department for International Development

Central African Republic

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Bekou Trust Fund to date; and whether she plans to contribute to it.

Mr Desmond Swayne: We welcome the leadership of the EU on the humanitarian response in CAR and on programmes linking relief, recovery and development. The UK is not a current contributor to the EU Trust Fund in CAR. The UK has committed £33 million in humanitarian funds to CAR and CAR refugees since July 2013, funding a range of NGOs and UN agencies to provide protection, water, health and food security.

Central African Republic

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her assessment is of the implications of the current security situation in the Central African Republic for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID regularly monitors the security and humanitarian situation in CAR. High levels of violence continue across the country, and a million people have been displaced since December 2013. The security situation impacts not only communities but humanitarian workers. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported 142 security incidents directed at humanitarian workers since January 2014 and 18 humanitarian workers killed. In 2014 DFID provided £18 million to the ICRC, UN agencies and international NGOs to support communities who have suffered from the violence in CAR.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy that Ministers continue to sign off large projects.

Justine Greening: It is already my policy that Ministers approve all projects over £5 million. I introduced this upon my arrival in the Department. This is an essential part of the programme control framework and has been agreed with the Treasury.

Ethiopia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department has provided to reform the security sector, the judiciary and the prison system and to upholding the rule of law in Ethiopia to support that country in meeting its international obligations in these areas.

Justine Greening: In 2014/15 the UK will provide £4million of funding to independent agencies working to make the security and justice sector fairer and more accountable in Ethiopia. No DFID funding goes to Ethiopia's police or security services.

South Sudan

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help refugees fleeing conflict in South Sudan.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Since December 2013, over half a million refugees have fled South Sudan to Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. £58.9 million has been committed by my Department to support these refugees through provision of nutrition, water, medical services and protection. We continue to closely monitor the situation.

Cost-effectiveness

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the cost-effectiveness of its spending.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Every DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval. During implementation each project is regularly monitored to examine whether the targeted results are on track, whether the project represents value for money and remains cost effective, and what, if any, corrective action needs to be undertaken.

International Assistance

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent progress has been made on negotiations to agree the Sustainable Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The first session of intergovernmental negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals has concluded. The Open Working Group proposal includes 17 goals and 169 targets. The UK supports the breadth and balance of the proposal but will be arguing for a more concise and workable agenda as negotiations progress.

Green Climate Fund

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the UK has contributed to the Green Climate Fund.

Justine Greening: The UK has pledged to contribute £720m to the Green Climate Fund. The UK is a strong supporter of the Green Climate Fund, as the key new vehicle for helping developing countries adapt to climate change and follow low-carbon development paths.

Department for Education

Families

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of research by the London School of Economics and Political Science and the universities of Manchester and York entitled the Coalition's Social Policy Record: Policy, Spending and Outcomes 2010-2015 relating to families with children under five years of age.

Mr David Laws: We look with interest at all relevant research.   This Government has taken a range of actions to help improve the prospects of families with children, including those under five years of age.   Work is the best route out of poverty – and under this Government employment has increased by more than 1.75 million. Further, this Government’s reforms to the welfare system through Universal Credit will lift up to 300,000 children out of poverty and increase the rate of childcare support from 70% to 85%. The Government has also introduced Tax-Free Childcare, which will provide 20% support for childcare costs up to £10,000 per year for each child and increased the child element of Child Tax Credits so that it remains higher than if it had been uprated by the consumer price index (CPI) in each year of this Parliament.   There is strong evidence that good quality early years education has a positive, lasting impact on children. That is why in England we have made a substantial investment at a time of fiscal tightening – £2.9 billion in 2014-15 to provide 15 hours of early years education a week for all three- and four-year-olds, and to 40% of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds. Additionally, from April 2015 we will introduce an early years pupil premium for three- and four-year-olds which will provide additional funded support to the most disadvantaged children.

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has very significantly reduced the cost of its communications since 2010. The Department coordinates communications activities centrally to ensure they are focused and effective, using low-cost campaigns whenever practical. Paid-for marketing has been used to support several important campaigns including: encouraging people to come forward as adopters and foster parents; encouraging parents to take up the extension of free childcare to two-year-olds; and the Your Life campaign to ensure young adults acquire knowledge in maths and science. The Department does not have a specific budget solely for advertising, which is included within the total communications spending below. The Department’s total communications spending for each requested financial year is as follows: 2010-11£36,746,5302011-12£28,639,8602012-13£7,163,1002013-14£3,683,0002014-15£3,658,000

Educational Psychology: Training

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to the training of educational psychologists in each of the last five financial years.

Mr Edward Timpson: The table below outlines the amount the Department for Education has allocated to the training of educational psychologists in the last five financial years. This is 54% of the total cost of the three year doctorate. The remaining 46% is funded by employers of educational psychologists (96% are local authorities) who provide a bursary or a salary while trainees are on practice placement in years two and three. The Department for Education contribution to the training of educational psychologistsFinancial Year2009/20102010/20112011/20122012/20132013/20142014/2015TOTAL2,318,5664,254,9595,256,7805,421,427[1]5,278,075[2]5,346,831   [1] A new training provider contract was in place for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 intakes. Some of these universities have higher tuition fees in the first year and lower fees in subsequent years, while others have the same level of fees for all three years.[2] The Minister increased the number of funded training places available from 120 to 132, for the 2014 and 2015 intakes.

Foster Care

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2015 to Question 220175, for what reasons her Department has decided not to take any proactive steps to reduce the disparity between local authorities in meeting the six-week regulation for visits of children within the first year of a private fostering arrangement.

Mr Edward Timpson: As with other aspects of local authority performance, private fostering arrangements are inspected by Ofsted. They will take performance in this area into account in determining overall inspection ratings. The Department for Education intervenes robustly on the back of such judgements.

Social Services: Somerset

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to broaden and escalate the Government’s intervention in Somerset County Council’s Children’s Services.

Mr Edward Timpson: I take any failure to provide children and young people with the services they deserve very seriously and I issued Somerset County Council with an Improvement Notice in November 2013. I recently met Somerset’s leadership and my officials have been working closely with the local authority against the requirements of my Improvement Notice; Ofsted’s 2013 report; and the Ofsted multi-remit inspection published on 26 November 2014.Under the terms of my Notice, an improvement board with an independent Chair is in place and the Chair reports on progress in Somerset every three months. My officials are in regular communication with council leadership, and have attended each of the monthly boards to assess the LA’s improvement.Ofsted is currently inspecting child protection and children in care service provision in Somerset and I am considering my next steps in relation to this intervention. I will not hesitate to escalate the intervention in the local authority if I am presented with further evidence that children and young people are still not safe in Somerset. I will inform Somerset County Council of my decision shortly.

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Ofsted and CQC report entitled Evaluation of local areas' readinness for the implementation of the disability and SEN reforms, published on 17 December 2014, page 6, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on possible accountability measures to monitor the impact of the SEND reforms.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Ofsted and CQC report entitled Evaluation of local areas' readinness for the implementation of the disability and SEN reforms, published on 17 December 2014, page 6, whether she plans to introduce accountability measures to monitor the impact of the SEND reforms.

Mr Edward Timpson: The special educational needs (SEN) and disability code of practice sets out that local governance arrangements must be in place to ensure clear accountability for commissioning services for children and young people with SEN and disabilities from birth to the age of 25. There must be clear decision-making structures in place and partners must also be clear about who is responsible for delivering what, who the decision-makers are in education, health and social care, and how partners will hold each other to account in the event of a disagreement.Ofsted and CQC will provide the independent assessment of local area delivery of SEND services. This will support local accountability as well as supporting local areas to improve the quality of their delivery and service. Where necessary, it will provide evidence for an area to receive appropriate external support.Department for Education officials are working closely with officals from the Department of Health and their Ministers to ensure any accountability measures reflect the importance of partnership working across education health and social care.

Foster Care

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children in each local authority were in a foster care placement on 31 March (a) 2013 and (b) 2014; how many such children in each local authority were in a foster care placement with a relative or friend (i) inside and (ii) outside the authority boundary on each date; how many such children in each local authority were under (A) an interim and (B) a full court order on each date; and how many such children in each local authority area were looked after under a voluntary agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 on each such date.

Mr Edward Timpson: The number of children looked after in foster placements at 31 March 2014 is published in Table LAA3 of the ‘Children looked after, including adoption’ statistical first release.[1]The further breakdowns requested are not published at local authority level but have been provided and placed in the House Library.  [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption--2

Ministry of Justice

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in each year since it entered into force.

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) charged, (b) convicted and (c) sentenced to custody following a conviction involving misuse of social media in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what offences they were (i) charged with, (ii) convicted of and (iii) sentenced for.

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of people convicted under sections 2A or 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 used social media or cyber crime to harass or stalk their victims.

Mike Penning: The Government is absolutely clear that abusive or threatening behaviour, stalking or harassment, are totally unacceptable, whether online or offline. A number of offences may be committed by misusing the internet or social media in this way, in particular under section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988 or section 127 of the Communications Act 2003. Changes to the law in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill will help to ensure that people who commit those offences are prosecuted and properly punished. Stalking causes misery for victims. That is why in 2012 we added to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 two new specific offences of stalking (section 2A) and stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress (section 4A), the latter of which is punishable by up to five years in prison, or a fine, or both. Online stalking or harassment could amount to one of these offences if it is carried out as part of a ‘course of conduct’ which amounts to stalking, and could amount to the more serious offence if that course of conduct puts someone in fear of violence, or if it causes them serious alarm or distress which has a substantial adverse effect on their usual day-to-day activities The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and foundguilty at all courts for offences relating to the Computer Misuse Act 1990,from 1990 to 2013 (latest data available), can be viewed in the table. Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information convictions and sentences involving the use or misuse of social media, or cyber crime. This detailed information may be held on the court record but due to the size and complexity is not reported centrally to the MoJ. As such, the information requested can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in May 2015. Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the Computer Misuse Act 1990, England & Wales, 1990-2013(1)(2)  YearProceeded AgainstFound Guilty(3)1990--1991111992--1993--1994--1995--1996221997--1998169199913112000191520012531200218142003195200421122005241620062518200719102008(4)17122009191020101018201111112012252720135540Total339262   (-) Nil (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.   (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   (3) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed the number proceeded against as the proceedings in the magistrates' court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year; or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against.   (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008.   Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.PQ 222192

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Justice does not hold a central record of staff employed through Recruitment agencies.

Wormwood Scrubs Prison

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the art, design and media department at HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs closed.

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the decision was taken to close the art, design and media department in HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs.

Andrew Selous: Art, Design and Media Studies were taught at HMP Wormwood Scrubs as part of the learning offer under the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) arrangements, although there was no actual art, design and media department at the prison. Following an Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) report, and a curriculum review under the OLASS arrangements, and after consultation with Ofsted, the Skills Funding Agency and A4e (the then OLASS provider), a local decision was taken in November 2014 to withdraw provision for Art, Design and Media Studies at the prison and to focus delivery more on literacy and numeracy. The subjects were withdrawn in January 2015.

Family Courts: Rhyl

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2015, to Question 221368, what estimate he has made of the potential savings to his Department arising from the proposed closure of Rhyl family court.

Mike Penning: Rhyl County Court, which deals with family work, remains open. Should it close the potential savings will be approximately £115,000 per annum.

Offences against Children

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) cautioned and (b) prosecuted for child neglect in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people prosecuted for child neglect were sentenced to jail terms of ten years or more in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mike Penning: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Protecting children from harm is a Government priority. All children should be able to grow up in a safe, happy environment. The focus must be on early intervention as we know that the earlier that help and support is given to vulnerable children and families, the more chance there is of turning their lives around, protecting children from harm and preventing problems escalating into child cruelty. However, where that is not possible, we have tough legislation in place to punish offenders for this intolerable behaviour. This is the offence of child cruelty at section 1 of the Children and Young Person’s Act 1933. Neglect is one way that the offence can be committed. The Government is currently taking forward a provision (clause 66) in the Serious Crime Bill, to update and clarify the law on child cruelty, in particular to make absolutely clear that cruelty which causes psychological suffering or injury is covered by this offence.The number of people cautioned, prosecuted and sentenced at all courts for cruelty or neglect of children, from 2009 to 2013 ( the latest available), can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice website at the following link:- https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311455/cjs-outcomes-by-offence-2009-2013.xls after selecting an offence of “11 Cruelty and neglect of children”. Those convicted of child cruelty are more likely to go to prison now than in 2010. The proportion of offenders given a custodial sentence of 10 years, or a sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection, for offences relating to cruelty or neglect of children, in England & Wales, from 2009 to 2013 can be viewed in the table. (The maximum custodial sentence for the offence in section 1 of the 1933 Act is 10 years’ imprisonment. Previously, it was also possible to be given a sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection for this offence.)

Disclosure of Information

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 906848, what guidance his Department issues on when Government departments should seek to legislate to establish a legal basis for the sharing of personal data.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice does not publish guidance on when departments should legislate to establish a legal basis for sharing personal data. However, we have published general guidance for departments, which seeks to clarify the legal circumstances in which the data sharing powers of public bodies can be exercised. The Public Sector Data Sharing guidance can be found at:https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/information-access-rights/data-sharing/annex-h-data-sharing.pdf

Ministry of Defence

Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) consultants, (b) temporary staff and (c) contingent labour in each of the last five years; how many people have been so employed; what the length of contract of each such person was; and what equivalent civil service salary band each was on.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 16 December 2014



Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure on consultancy and non-permanent staff has been as follows:CategoryExpenditure2009-10(£ million)2010-11(£ million)2011-12(£ million)2012-13(£ million)2013-14(£ million)Advisory Consultancy64.823.518.344.587.9Contingent Labour74.646.926.150.368.6Fee Earners1.00.63.41.01.2Casual Staff13.37.34.47.95.9  The numbers of non-permanent staff (headcount) engaged during any given financial year have been as follows:CategoryNumbers Engaged2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14Advisory ConsultancyNote (1)Note (1)Note (1)Note (1)Note (1)Contingent LabourNote (2)1,8151,1753,1714,0215,632Fee EarnersNote (3)Note (3)Note (3)Note (3)Note (3)Note (3)Casual StaffNote (4)708292148274296Notes:(1) The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We contract for consultancy work on the basis that the provider delivers a defined output at an agreed price rather than a specific individual or individuals whose remuneration is a matter for the service provider.(2) Contingent Labour (also known as Manpower Substitution) is generally engaged on a temporary basis to fill vacant, funded posts until recruitment action is taken to appoint a salaried permanent member of staff. Included in this category are temporary admin and clerical workers, interim managers, and specialist contractors (in finance, HR, IT and other functions). We do not currently record numbers engaged for Contingent Labour sourced locally, so the statistics given are not directly comparable with the associated costs.(3) The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This information will, however, be recorded centrally from 2014-15. Fee earners are engaged for a temporary period to provide a particular service or specialist skill; they are paid an agreed fee for their work.(4) Casual staff are engaged for a short-term period to undertake tasks that are one off or irregular and cannot be done by the permanent workforce or where the job requires expertise not readily available from within the permanent workforce.Information on the average length of contracts and salary band equivalency could be provided only at disproportionate cost.We seek to strike the best balance between what we resource internally and what we resource through external appointments; so, where we do contract for private-sector support, it must be fully justifiable and provide value for money to the taxpayer. It does not make economic sense for us to maintain all the specialist skills we need permanently in-house, and access to some level of private-sector expertise is consequently of enduring value to us. This is particularly the case at present, as we are going through a period of fundamental change in the way we do our business in response to the Levene reforms. As a result, we have needed in the short term to bring in specialist skills which cannot be found among the permanent workforce.We are also keen to benefit from external expertise through skills-transfer to our own staff. This helps to make us more self-reliant and resilient in the longer term.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to reach a decision on the future use of the shipbuilding sheds in Portsmouth which have been handed back to his Department by BAE Systems.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) on 30 January 2015, three companies have been shortlisted for future use of the shipbuilding facilities - BAE Systems, Burgess Marine and Magma Structures. Preferred bidders for the shipyard site will be announced in due course.

Employment Agencies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruitment and employment agencies his Department has used to source staff in each year since 2010-11.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



The attached table lists the primary companies from which the Ministry of Defence obtains staff. These contractors will occasionally use second-tier suppliers, details of which are not held centrally by the Ministry of Defence.  



Primary Companies from which MOD Obtains Staff
(Word Document, 29 KB)

Veterans: Temporary Accommodation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of military veterans in emergency accommodation.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold this information. Emergency accommodation is provided by local authorities and charitable organisations, working with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping is a key priority for this Government. The MOD works closely with DCLG to honour the commitments made by the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure fair treatment of Service families in need of social housing and ensure they are given proper priority on housing waiting lists.In 2014, LIBOR funding was used to launch the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund (VAF). The most recently announced VAF project was £8.5 million to the Aldershot Accommodation Pathway, which caters for veterans making the transition from hostel accommodation to independent living. Approximately 275 vulnerable, injured or sick ex-Service personnel from across the country will benefit.The MOD provides extensive help to minimise the risk of military personnel becoming homeless on leaving the Armed Forces through the provision of targeted housing advice during resettlement and the Forces Help to Buy Scheme.As an indication of the current position, according to the latest figures, 5% of people sleeping rough in London once served in the UK Armed Forces, whereas around one in ten of the UK adult population is a veteran.

Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department defines what constitutes a veteran.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



A veteran is defined as someone who has served for at least one day in Her Majesty's Armed Forces, whether as a Regular or Reservist.

War Graves

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will discuss with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission measures to safeguard overseas war graves from desecration by Islamist extremists.

Anna Soubry: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for cemeteries and memorials at 23,000 locations, in 153 countries. It is therefore not practical to expect that all of these sites can be protected from those who, for whatever reason, might seek to damage the graves or memorials. However, in the event of such damage, the Commission will ensure that appropriate repairs are made as soon as is practicably possible.

Sahel

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart concerning the deployment of UK Reapers in support of Operation Barkhane.

Mr Mark Francois: As a close ally, discussions regularly take place with France, both bilaterally and through NATO, on Defence matters, these can include capability issues such as Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. However, to date there have been no specific discussions regarding the deployment of UK Reapers in support of Operation Barkhane.

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Afghanistan

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 220012, how many RAF personnel are deployed in Afghanistan; and what the (a) rank, (b) squadron and (c) function is of each RAF officer stationed in that country.

Mr Mark Francois: As at 2 February 2015 there were 19 RAF personnel in Afghanistan. The rank and function of each are shown below. Only those supporting the Op TORAL Aviation Detachment are deployed as part of a formed unit, which in this case is 27 Squadron from RAF Odiham.  Number and RankFunctionFive x Flight LieutenantPilots Op TORAL Aviation DetachmentTwo x Flight LieutenantEngineer Officers Op TORAL Aviation DetachmentThree x Flight Lieutenant/Squadron LeaderCommand Elements of Op TORAL Aviation DetachmentOne x Flight LieutenantAeromedical Evacuation Liaison OfficerTwo x Squadron LeaderStaff Appointments Headquarters Resolute SupportOne x Wing CommanderStaff Appointment Headquarters Resolute SupportThree x Squadron LeaderStaff Appointments Headquarters Commander British Forces AfghanistanOne x Wing CommanderAdvisor Afghan Ministry of DefenceOne x Air CommodoreStaff Appointment Headquarters Resolute Support

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 December 2013, Official Report, column 70W, and with reference to Regulatory Article 1600, published by the Military Aviation Authority on 19 January 2015, whether his Department will fly remotely piloted aircraft systems in the UK outside danger areas or segregated airspace.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence is working with other Government Departments and authorities, including the Civil Aviation Authority, as part of a wider cross-Government initiative to determine the feasibility of operating both civilian and military remotely piloted aircraft systems beyond line-of-sight and in un-segregated airspace.

Iraq

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will introduce a compensation scheme for civilian casualties in Iraq.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

RAF Croughton

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the US sought permission from his Department for consolidation at RAF Croughton following that country's European Infrastructure Consolidated Review.

Anna Soubry: The European Infrastructure Consolidation review recommendations were subject to a period of consultation with the Host Nations.

Afghanistan

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department plans to inform the families of military personnel killed in Afghanistan of the decision to hold a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral in March 2015.

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to notify the relatives of service men and women killed in Afghanistan of its plans for a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral.

Anna Soubry: The 13 March Service of Commemoration announced by the Prime Minister on 28 January 2015 will provide an opportunity for the nation to express its gratitude to those who gave so much during operations in Afghanistan. We have already formally notified Next of Kin of those who died during operations in Afghanistan of the memorial service.

Golf

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual maintenance and running costs are for each of the golf courses included in his Department's estate.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has 15 golf courses, eight are managed by the Department and seven are leased to external organisations. Information about the maintenance and running costs for the golf courses managed by the MOD is not held in the format requested.Information about the maintenance and running costs for the golf courses let by the MOD is not held, as the golf clubs that lease them are responsible for all maintenance and running costs.

Electronic Warfare

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last met the (a) Home Secretary, (b) Foreign Secretary and (c) Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss cyber security; and what the outcome of those meetings was.

Mr Mark Francois: Regular discussions take place between Ministers and others on cyber security issues. The Government's approach to cyber security issues was set out in the UK Cyber Security Strategy in November 2011. Progress against the strategy's objectives was set out for Parliament by the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Francis Maude) on 11 December 2014 (Official Report, column 51WS). 



Hansard Extract 11 December 2014
(Word Document, 29 KB)

Electronic Warfare

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on its work on a cyber-security model to be implemented in its contracts.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence already includes information security clauses in its contracts; these are being augmented by the development of the cyber security model. Its first output - a set of cyber profiles which detail the measures suppliers will be required to comply with - is expected to be published by the end of March 2015. It is anticipated that implementation in contracts will begin in autumn 2015.

Department for Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (b) North Lanarkshire, (c) Scotland, (d) the UK, (e) England, (f) Wales and (g) Northern Ireland received support through the Access to Work scheme in each year from 2010 to the most recent period for which figures are available; and how much was paid out to each category of recipient in each such year.

Mr Mark Harper: The most up-to-date statistics on individuals helped by Access to Work were published on 20th January 2015, and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics-on-recipients--2#2014 No data is included for Northern Ireland as Access to Work has been devolved to that administration.

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Esther McVey: The information is not available. The Department does not have a specific advertising budget.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer from the Minister of State for Care and Support of 23 January 2015 to Question 221072, what estimate he has made of the savings made by his Department as a result of 90,000 people moving off benefits and into work as a result of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy interventions.

Mr Mark Harper: DWP does not hold data regarding claimants’ health related interventions and IAPT services do not have any breakdown by benefit type of the 90,000 who have moved into work. It is therefore not possible to provide an informed estimate of the savings made.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to increase cooperation between his Department and the Department of Health in using Improving Access to Psychological Therapies to help those on sickness and disability benefit back to work.

Mr Mark Harper: People on incapacity benefits who have depression or an anxiety disorder can access IAPT services via either their GP or self-referral. Whilst Jobcentre Plus work coaches are not medical experts, part of their role is to appreciate how a claimant’s health condition may impact on their ability to move into and remain in work and make them aware of support that may help manage their health condition. This can include signposting to talking therapies (IAPT services.) To further improve the offer of support, this government is, for the first time, co-commissioning evidence-based models of service delivery that combine addressing employment needs and mental health support. We have taken forward a number of voluntary pilots to explore the most promising approaches including embedding personalised employment support in talking therapy services.

Fracking: Safety

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment criteria the Health and Safety Executive plans to apply in deciding whether its inspections of hydraulic fracturing sites will be unannounced.

Mr Mark Harper: Decisions on whether an inspection is announced or unannounced are made on a case by case basis by the HSE inspector. For example, it may be beneficial to inform the duty holder of the inspection prior to arrival to ensure that the relevant people, documents and materials are present on site to inform the inspection. Conversely there may be occasions where it may be more appropriate for the visit to be unannounced to observe the “normal” conditions of the site. Information gathered by HSE during site inspections, meetings with the well operators and through the assessment of data contained in well notifications enables HSE to assure itself that the operator is managing risks appropriately in relation to the well operations.

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Esther McVey: The department has used employment or recruitment agencies to: a) provide services for DWP under a commercial arrangement (contingent labour), andb) support recruitment exercises; identifying people with the skills and experience required to take up permanent employment in the department. Information held by the department on the use of employment or recruitment agencies to provide contingent labour workers is incomplete for 2014. The following table provides information for the preceding 4 years and a partial view for 2014.  YearHeadcount2010/112762011/121592012/132492013/141112014/1563  The department also has information on the number of permanent DWP employees recruited through the use of employment or recruitment agencies and this is as follows:-  YearHeadcount2010/1112011/1222012/13192013/1452014/15¹9 Note:¹ To date

Funeral Payments

Mr Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received funeral payments in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Enfield in each of the last 10 years; how much those payments amount to; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Tables 1 and 2 show the number of Funeral Payment awards and expenditure amount in England, London and North and North East London Budget Area between 2004/05 and 2013/14. DWP does not hold information about the number of people receiving Funeral Payment awards in a given time period. The number of awards made in each year is not equal to the number of people who received awards as an individual may have made multiple applications in that period. The lowest geographical level at which we hold Funeral Payment data is by Social Fund Budget Area; the geographical areas used to administer the Social Fund in Great Britain. Since 2008/09, the Budget Area covering Enfield is North and North East London, which also covers Waltham Forest and Barking and Dagenham as well as parts of Barnet, Hackney, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Islington and Redbridge. Earlier figures for this area are not available. Table 1: Funeral Payment awards in England, London and North and North East London, 2004/05 to 2013/14YearEnglandLondonNorth and North East London2004/0534,7004,800-2005/0633,4004,500-2006/0732,7004,300-2007/0831,3004,100-2008/0932,5004,2008002009/1031,2004,4008002010/1130,5003,8008002011/1230,2003,9008002012/1328,0003,6009002013/1426,6003,500800 Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System Table 2: Funeral Payment expenditure in England, London and North and North East London, 2004/05 to 2013/14YearEnglandLondonNorth and North East London2004/05£36,925,100£5,961,200-2005/06£36,643,600£5,819,400-2006/07£37,148,000£5,814,900-2007/08£36,987,600£5,959,300-2008/09£39,495,800£6,511,000£1,260,5002009/10£38,410,300£6,769,600£1,274,4002010/11£37,445,800£5,879,700£1,294,8002011/12£37,723,000£6,226,400£1,347,3002012/13£34,617,200£5,590,100£1,390,8002013/14£36,185,500£5,979,600£1,429,500Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System Notes · These figures do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.· All figures are rounded to the nearest £100.

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Esther McVey: The information is not available. The Department does not have a specific communications budget.

Fracking: Safety

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff required by the Health and Safety Executive in order for it to perform its role as a regulator of hydraulic fracturing in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16, (c) 2016-17, (d) 2017-18, (e) 2018-19 and (f) 2019-2020.

Mr Mark Harper: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has sufficient resource to regulate the development of shale gas in the current exploratory stage. HSE continues to review its level of staffing to ensure the level of resourcing is appropriate relevant to the volume of hydraulic fracturing activity being undertaken.

Fracking: Safety

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is a requirement that the Health and Safety Executive assess all hydraulic fracturing sites during (a) the exploration phase and (b) all further phases, including decommissioning.

Mr Mark Harper: The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) regulatory regime for oil and gas operations onshore including hydraulic fracturing is long-established. The approach has two main elements:1. Specialist well engineers (working with the industry association) help develop best practice standards for the oil and gas industry as a whole.2. This is supplemented by risk-based interventions to assess if well integrity risks are managed appropriately. An oil or gas well is a complex engineered construction, most of which is below ground and not accessible to visual inspection. Consequently HSE seeks to ensure that the well design (which is approved by an independent well examiner) conforms to the relevant standards. A pre-construction well notification report is submitted to HSE for assessment and approval before any work commences. During construction or decommissioning of the well HSE receives weekly well operations reports from the operator. These reports and the supporting detailed technical data obtained from readouts during the well operations are assessed by HSE specialist inspectors to ensure the well is being constructed, operated or decommissioned in accordance with the approved design parameters or decommissioning process.

Electronic Government

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the long-term sustainability of his plans for a digital service.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has already successfully delivered some of the most used digital services in Government, including Jobseekers’ Allowance online, Universal Jobmatch and (on behalf of wider Government) the Government Gateway. Evaluation from the development and maintenance of these services is a core part of the Department’s approach as it continues to build new digital services and improve existing ones in line with Government Digital Service methodology. This places strong emphasis on feedback, evaluation and improvement to build sustainable systems, and the results of service assessments are published on gdsdata.blog.gov.uk

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what ongoing support his Department offers a jobseeker's allowance claimant who has received a sanction.

Esther McVey: Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants are made aware of the availability of financial support under the hardship provision (verbally and in writing) from the point that a benefit doubt is identified. Once a decision is made and a sanction applied, a formal notification is issued to the claimant, which includes information about the availability of JSA under the hardship provision. Where appropriate, claimants will be supported to make hardship applications. Irrespective of whether or not a person has a sanction imposed on their benefit, Jobcentre Plus staff will continue to provide the appropriate levels of support for each claimant (tailored to their individual circumstances) to help them obtain employment. This may include proactively signposting them to specific expert support or providing advice on appropriate means for looking for employment.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to encourage Work Programme providers to work with housing associations to help tenants boost their employability.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has held in 2015 to date with his ministerial colleagues at the Department for Communities and Local Government on the operation of local welfare assistance schemes.

Steve Webb: There have been no meetings on the operation of these schemes in 2015.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the jobseeker's allowance regime facilitates legitimate voluntary work that might boost a jobseeker's skills and experience.

Esther McVey: In recognition of the clear employment-related benefits, there are flexibilities within Regulations that allow people to participate in volunteering and still receive Jobseeker’s Allowance. For example, while all claimants must be available for and actively seeking work, those requirements can be adjusted to take into account any volunteering being undertaken.I feel those easements offer the right balance in terms of requiring claimants to be available for and actively seeking work with a view to finding a job quickly, while also reaping the employment-related benefits of volunteering.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fracking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are used to determine whether a developer is required to undertake a habitats regulation assessment for a proposed hydraulic fracturing project within a (a) special conservation area, (b) special protection area, (c) site of special scientific interest, (d) area of outstanding natural beauty and (e) Ramsar site.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are used to determine whether a developer is required to undertake a habitats regulation assessment for a proposed hydraulic fracturing project adjacent to a (a) special conservation area, (b) special protection site, (c) site of special scientific interest, (d) area of outstanding natural beauty and (e) Ramsar site.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are used to determinte whether a developer of a proposed hydraulic fracturing project is required to undertake a habitats regulation assessment.

Dan Rogerson: Habitats regulations assessments (HRA) are used to determine what impact a proposed plan or project might have on the following types of protected site:   · Special Areas of Conservation, · Special Protected Areas, · Ramsar sites, or · Sites in the process of being given one of the above designations.   HRA do not relate to any other type of site designation or protection, unless the site happens to also carry one of the above designations.   HRA requirements are generally implemented through other licensing and permitting processes. As such, any public body taking a decision on whether to permit a proposed plan or project has to decide whether an HRA is needed as part of the application. Operators wishing to undertake hydraulic fracturing for shale gas will require planning permission from a Mineral Planning Authority. The Mineral Planning Authority will have to decide whether an HRA is needed as part of any given proposal. Key factors for the Mineral Planning Authority to consider will include the proximity of proposed fracking operations to the types of protected site listed above, and the potential for fracking to impact upon the species or habitats for which the particular site or sites were designated.

Food: Prices

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the comparative rate of food price inflation in (i) the UK, (ii) France and (iii) Germany between 2003 and 2015 and (b) the reasons for differences between those inflation rates in that period.

George Eustice: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



According to Eurostat, between 2003 and 2014 food prices rose by 47% in the UK, 17% in France and 23% in Germany. This reflects how the key drivers (commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices) impact on each market. Over the period the euro appreciated relative to the pound, lowering food inflation for Eurozone countries relative to the UK. In addition, the UK’s competitive domestic market transmits more of the changes in the key drivers to consumers, which can lead to higher inflation when commodity prices and oil prices rise, but keeps prices lower overall.   Recent reductions in global commodity prices have been more fully transmitted into retail prices in the UK, at the same time as an appreciation of the pound relative to the euro. Food prices fell by 1.7% in the UK in 2014 compared to 0.6% and 0.8% in France and Germany respectively.   Despite higher inflation in the UK over the period, according to Eurostat food prices in the UK in 2013 (in purchasing power parities) were 7% lower than both France and Germany.

Natural Resources

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to implement the Natural Capital Committee's Third Report's (a) recommendations on a 25-year plan to improve and protect natural capital and (b) other recommendations.

Dan Rogerson: The Government will be providing a response to the Natural Capital Committee’s third State of Natural Capital report in the second half of 2015. Government officials are now analysing the package of recommendations put forward by the Natural Capital Committee so ministers can be comprehensively briefed post-election.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what fees her Department has proposed for veterinarians who bid successfully in the tendering process for testing for tuberculosis in cattle.

George Eustice: Details of the fees payable by the successful bidders are subject to commercial confidentiality and not shared. Redacted copies of the awarded contracts will be available on Contracts Finder once these have been awarded. However, within the Invitation to Tender documentation it was clear that Defra was seeking the ability to deliver a consistent quality assured service, which would be important in identifying successful suppliers. Other factors, including the provision of a locally responsive service and the use of small businesses which otherwise support a sustainable livestock farming industry and wider rural economy, would also be important whilst cost would still be a factor. Tenderers were invited to submit tenders for each Geographical Lot based on their fees not exceeding the annual reference value of each the Geographical Lots (2013/14) and, in three Geographical Lots, the estimated value of the Total Reference Value less 10%.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to keep veterinarians informed on the timetable of her Department's tendering process for testing cattle for tuberculosis.

George Eustice: Since the new model for the supply of veterinary services was announced in July 2013, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) (previously the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency) has continuously provided detailed information and progress updates through the APHA website, regular Official Veterinarian (OV) newsletter and in specific letters and briefings sent directly to OVs. This information was also provided to veterinary professional bodies such as the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). APHA provided open fora in both Builth Wells (Wales) and Weybridge (England) in September and October 2013.   An Invitation to Tender was published on 9 July 2014 which included a timetable leading to the announcement on contract awards in January 2015. To further aid potential suppliers, two further clarification days were held in Builth Wells and Weybridge in July and August 2014.   On 6 January 2015, prior to the award of contracts for veterinary services, APHA wrote to the BVA, BCVA and RCVS, to update them on the award process and timescales involved. On 27 January, APHA informed professional bodies and OVs of the award of contracts in Wales and will now work with the contractors to inform veterinarians in Wales of the transitional timetable and arrangements. APHA is not yet in a position to award contracts in England, as this is dependent on the outcome of an ongoing legal process, but has reaffirmed its commitment to providing ongoing information and support to the veterinary profession.

Home Office

Asylum

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum case work staff were employed in dealing with asylum claims in each year since 2010-11.

Mike Penning: The total number of asylum decision makers currently employed by UK Visas and Immigration is 416. In January 2014, we employed 309 decision makers and in April 2013 there were 345 decision makers employed. Prior to April 2013, this information is not held in a reportable format and to provide this information would only be possible at a disproportionate cost.The numbers provided have been taken from internal management information and as such are provisional and may be subject to change.

Asylum

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been waiting for an initial decision on their claim for (a) six months or more and (b) one year or more.

Mike Penning: At the end of October 2014, 9,844 asylum applications from main applicants were pending initial decision for six months or more and, of those, 5,423 for one year or more.The figures provided are a subset of latest published statistics for applications received for asylum since April 2006 and published by the Home Office on a monthly basis. A copy of the latest release Monthly Asylum Applications October 2014 is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/monthly-asylum-application-tables.The Home Office has robust plans in place and is working to ensure that straightforward asylum applications made before 1 April 2014 receive initial decisions by 31 March 2015 and straightforward asylum claims made after 1 April 2014 are decided within 6 months.

Vetting

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the average length of time each police force has taken to return Disclosure and Barring Service checks since 2010.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 23 January 2015



The average number of days taken by each police force to return disclosure checks is provided in the table below. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) works closely with any forces which miss their service level agreements. The DBS was established in December 2012. Data prior to this date relates to the Criminal Records Bureau.   



Police force disclosure checks 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 32 KB)

Counter-terrorism

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on sharing intelligence information to counter terrorism in Europe.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 29 January 2015



We do not comment on intelligence matters.

Illegal Immigrants

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Home Office enforcement visits were undertaken without notice to (a) employers, (b) colleges and (c) universities in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: We are unable to provide the data requested via Home Office Published Statistics or Management Information as this information is not held in a reportable format. We do hold data on the number of enforcement visits, however our systems do not easily distinguish between those where the visit was unannounced and those where the employer / college was notified in advance.

Police: Misconduct

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of misconduct were made against the Police Service in each of the last five years; and how many police officers have been dismissed for misconduct in that period.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 29 January 2015



Data on the number of misconduct allegations is not collated centrally by the Home Office. Since December 2013 the College of Policing has been collecting information on officers dismissed from the police. Data for the first year is currently out for verification by police forces and will be published by the College once verified. The public rightly expects police officers to act with the highest standards of integrity and for those suspected of misconduct to be subject to formal disciplinary proceedings. This Government has made the issue of police conduct and professionalism a priority. We have introduced legislation to prevent officers resigning or retiring toescape being held to account for their actions. The Government has also consulted on wide ranging reforms of the policedisciplinary system, following the Chapman Review. These reforms include holding police disciplinary hearings in public with legally-qualified chairs, which the Government intends to introduce in this Parliament.

Fixed Penalties

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices were issued for each type of offence in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 29 January 2015



Available data relate to fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by the police in England and Wales to motorists between 2002 and 2012. These were in the most recent Home Office statistical release on Police Powers and Procedures, available online via: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-2012-to-2013For easy reference, the total number of FPNs issued in England and Wales can be found in the following tables. Data for 2013 are scheduled to be published in April 2015.Data on FPNs issued by the police for other types of offence are not collected centrally.From 2011 onwards police began recording FPNs on a national recording system (PentiP). This data is not directly comparable with data from previous years. PentiP data is slightly lower than data from previous years due to (a) a number of error records being removed from the system, and (b) the exclusion of FPNs resulting in court hearings, cancellations or no further action, which were included in data from the old system.   



FPNs issued in England & Wales
(Excel SpreadSheet, 32.5 KB)

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many companies were fined for employing illegal immigrants in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The information requested is in the following table. The figures are based on the number of civil penalties issued to individual employers during each of the last five complete financial years. This includes public and private limited companies, sole traders, partnerships and franchises. The government is committed to taking effective action against employers of illegal workers. Illegal working drives illegal immigration which leads to exploitation of workers and is also linked to non payment of the national minimum wage, harmful working conditions and tax evasion. Illegal working also undercuts legitimate businesses and adversely impacts on the employment of people who are lawfully resident in the UK.The government has therefore taken measures to strengthen our approach to rogue employers. In 2014, we doubled the maximum civil penalty that can be levied against an employer to £20,000 per illegal worker and we used the Immigration Act 2014 to make it easier to enforce unpaid penalties in the courts. We have also extended our enforcement reach by working more closely across government departments to identify where illegal working is taking place and to enforce a range of sanctions against employers of illegal workers.

Offences against Children

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of child abuse the police recorded in each of the last five years; and how many people have been arrested on charges of child abuse in each force area in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 29 January 2015



The Home Office does not hold the requested information. The 11 individual offences of sexual abuse against children, which are collected by Home Office Statistics, are a subset of what could be categorised as ‘child abuse’.

Offences against Children and Vulnerable Adults

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable will be for the consultation on mandatory reporting of abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget will be for the consultation on mandatory reporting of abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



During the House debates on the Serious Crime Bill we committed to a timetable of 18 months from Royal Assent to have completed the consultation on mandatory reporting of abuse of children and vulnerable adults. The budget for the consultation is currently being scoped.

Fraud

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2015 to Question 221638, how many reports of fraud have been received by Action Fraud in the 12 month period for which figures are available; and how many victims of crime who reported to Action Fraud have received an update on what action has been taken in that period.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office only hold data centrally on the number of crimes recorded by Action Fraud. Action Fraud recorded 212,705 fraud offences in the year to September 2014.The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) advise that in the same period, over 180,000 victims of fraud offences received updates on the progress of the investigation of their crimes. This figure is lower than the total number of crimes recorded in the same period, because the system of updates was rolled out in a phased way during 2013 and 2014. As a result, not all victims during this period would have received updates.

Asylum: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that asylum seekers resident in Scotland are able to submit evidence on their claim to offices in Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on asylum seekers in Scotland of the recent changes to rules which provide that evidence related to asylum claims must be submitted in Liverpool.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received about the rule change which means that asylum seekers must submit claims in Liverpool.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



The changes to the further submissions process only apply to failed asylum seekers whose claims have already been carefully considered and refused and, where applicable, had any appeal against that decision rejected by an independent court. Asylum seekers who are yet to receive a decision on their claim are unaffected by the new arrangements. They are given every opportunity to disclose all relevant evidence and remain able to submit it by post or at offices in Scotland.Home Office officials meet asylum partners on a regular basis through the National Asylum Stakeholders Forum (NASF) and several sub-groups of this forum. The Government is familiar with the range of views about the asylum system and how it is operated and these views were considered when developing this policy change. NASF were notified of the change in a letter dated 13 January and Home Office officials met partners on 22 January to discuss their concerns. We will continue to discuss these issues with partners and have scheduled forthcoming meetings for this purpose. We are not aware of any direct approach from Scottish stakeholders.

Social Networking

Mr Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests there have been to social media companies under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in the last two years; and on how many occasions the information requested was (a) supplied and (b) refused.

Mike Penning: Investigatory powers, including interception, communications data and surveillance, are fundamental to investigating crime, safeguarding national security and protecting the public. The use of these powers is subject to stringent safeguards and is primarily regulated by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Interception of Communications Commissioner provides robust, independent oversight of the use of interception and communications data and provides reports to the Prime Minister, which are published and laid in Parliament. These reports includes statistics on public authorities’ use of interception and communications data powers, and his 2013 report contained more statistics than ever before. It would not be appropriate to provide further details about the companies to which requests have been made, and their responses to such requests, as this would damage national security and efforts to fight serious crime.

Immigration Controls

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of its Border Security Assessment being conducted at the level of individual countries rather than on a uniform basis.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



The Home Office keeps its visa regimes under regular review. Regimes are assessed on a country by country basis. The Home Office takes various factors into account when assessing regimes. These include the immigration, crime and security risks posed by each country.

Entry Clearances

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered the possibility of varying the terms and conditions attached to a visitor visa on a country-by-country basis or within different parts of large countries.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



All individuals who require a visa to visit the UK are subject to the same terms and conditions. No decisions have been made to vary the terms and conditions attached to a visitor’s leave, but we remain open to considering these as part of our regular policy reviews.

Entry Clearances

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent studies her Department has undertaken of the operation of the visa system in the US; and what assessment she has made of whether a visa system which distinguishes between the level of risk posed by applicants from different countries can operate in the UK.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



The Home Office keeps abreast of developments on visa policy in other countries, including the USA. The decision to maintain a visa regime on a givencountry is based on a number of factors, including the level of risk posed by applicants from that country.

Asylum

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to implement in the UK the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 118/2014 of 30 January 2014 amending Regulation (EC) No 1560/2003 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 343/2003 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national.

Mike Penning: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 118/2014 is directly applicable, so does not require transposition into domestic law.

Offences against Children: Internet

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers are involved in the monitoring and investigation of child sex crimes online.

Mike Penning: Figures on the number of police officers involved in the monitoring and investigation of child sex crimes online are not centrally held by the Home Office.However, the Home Office does collect statistics on the number of police officers employed within the Child/Sex/Domestic/Missing function. The table provided shows the number and proportion of full-time equivalent police officers within the Child/Sex/Domestic/Missing function in England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2014. The deployment of police resources is a matter for operational police leaders, working with Police and Crime Commissioners.   



Full-time equivalent officers
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.63 KB)

Offences against Children and Vulnerable Adults

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how she plans to incorporate the views of charities and children's services into the terms of reference of her Department's consultation on mandatory report of abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contribution of Lord Bates of 28 October 2014, Official Report, column 1083 House of Lords, what the reasons are for the time taken to implement her Department's consultation on mandatory reporting of abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how she plans to incorporate the views of hon. Members and key stakeholders into the terms of reference of her Department's consultation on mandatory report of abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 02 February 2015



We will ensure that all interested organisations and the public will have the appropriate information and the options available to them so that they can give this issue full consideration during the consultation period. During the House debates on the Serious Crime Bill we committed to a timetable of 18 months from Royal Assent to have completed the consultation on mandatory reporting of abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

Immigration Controls: Republic of Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of illegal migration between the UK and the Republic of Ireland in either direction have been detected by Operation Gull in each of the last 10 years; what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Operation Gull; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: Detailed records about Operation Gull are available from financial year 2010-11 when responsibility for this work was transferred to immigration officers in Northern Ireland. Through Operation Gull we regularly arrest and remove illegal travellers attempting to use Northern Ireland ports as a means of transit across the UK. The number of immigration offenders detected through Operation Gull in Northern Ireland over the last 5 financial years were: Financial Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15 (at end Dec 2014)Offenders Detected211215196290221

Radicalism

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to give financial support, as part of the Prevent programme, to organisations which work with school-aged young people who have been identified as at risk of extremism.

Mike Penning: The Home Office currently funds local Prevent projects delivered by organisations working with school-aged young people identified as at risk of extremism and we intend to continue supporting this area of activity.

Radicalism

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proactive programmes her Department has put in place to make contact with potential extremists since 26 November 2014.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 03 February 2015



The Government’s Channel Programme provides support to those identified as at risk of being drawn in to terrorism, and is a key part of the Prevent Strategy. It was rolled out nationally in April 2012 and there have been over 2000 referrals to Channel.Channel works by identifying individuals who may be at risk from radicalisation, assessing the nature and the extent of the risk and where necessary, providing an appropriate support package tailored to their needs. It involves partners such as local authorities, the police, education and health providers.

Wales Office

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office communications budget consists of staff and media monitoring. Budgets from financial year 2010-11 to 2014-15 are set out below: Financial YearCommunications Budget (£)2010-11264,2792011-12320,8072012-13356,3772013-14258,3802014-15356,180

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff in his Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Alun Cairns: The average number of staff employed through employment or recruitment agencies since 2010-11 is shown below: 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-1511146

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office does not set a budget for advertising.

Scotland Office

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office budget on advertising since 2010-11 was as follows: Year2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Budget7,356.860.000.000.003,001.10

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not set a-side a specific budget for communications.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fuel Poverty

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many families with children in (a) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the UK are currently in debt to their energy supplier.

Matthew Hancock: The Department does not hold information on how many families are in debt with their energy companies.Ofgem closely monitors domestic energy suppliers’ performance and publishes information in relation to debt owed by domestic electricity and gas accounts holders in Great Britain, but they do not publish data relating to families with children or constituency areas. At the end of 2013, latest data available, 1.5 million domestic electricity account holders and 1.4 million domestic gas account holders were in debt to their energy supplier:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/92186/annualreport2013finalforpublication.pdf. Ofgem’s Domestic Suppliers’ Social Obligations: 2013 Annual Report 



Domestic Suppliers Social Obligations: 2013 report
(PDF Document, 771.76 KB)

Fossil Fuels

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2015 to Question 219852, if he will provide a breakdown by category of his Department's expenditure allocated to oil and gas in the last financial year; and of the purposes and functions of that expenditure.

Matthew Hancock: DECC’s expenditure allocated to Oil and Gas for the financial year 2013/2014 was £2,798k and all of this was channelled into the Oil and Gas Maximising Recovery Programme.A breakdown giving the purposes and functions within that expenditure is set out in the table below: Purpose/FunctionAmount (£k)Geological advice contract600Reservoir Engineering/Improved Oil Recovery, Carbon Capture & Storage contract600Environmental/Decommissioning/IHR Facilities contract500Pilot - Competitiveness300Joint Industry R&D projects200IT and Data management200Other (including currently unforeseeable expenditure on Improved Oil Recovery, resilience, delimitation, Environmental/Decommissioning, metering etc)200Unconventional Oil and Gas198

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is scheduled to next formally review each of its Parent Body Organisation contracts.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when each of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Parent Body Organisation contracts are scheduled for renewal or to reach agreed break points.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority spent in each of the last five years on (a) in-house research and development activities and (b) research and development activities funded directly through its contractors.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mr Francis Maude: My Department is responsible for cross-Government communication as set out in the Annual Government Communication Plan. As part of our long-term economic plan we have substantially reformed Government communications since the 2010 General Election, abolishing the Central Office of Information and ensuring that Government communications activity is better coordinated and more effective. Thanks to these reforms we have halved the cost to taxpayers of government communications since the 2010 General Election. The NAO has confirmed that Government made savings of £378 million in each of the last two financial years on proactive paid-for communications, compared to a 2009-10 baseline. This is based on proactive (paid-for) communications spend of £589m in 09/10, £216m in 12/13 and £210m in 13/14. My department regularly publishes data on: www.data.gov.uk showing how public money has been spent and how government is performing against its objectives and goals.

Alcoholic Drinks

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any officials reporting to the Chief Executive of the Civil Service are working to implement or devise policies which could affect the consumption, marketing, pricing, availability or sale of alcohol.

Mr Francis Maude: The Chief Executive of the Civil Service is responsible for the Government’s efficiency and reform programme, including commercial, digital, property, HR, major projects, shared services and civil service reform functions at the centre of government. No officials reporting to the Chief Executive of the civil service are working to implement or devise policies which could affect the consumption, marketing, pricing, availability or sale of alcohol.

Electronic Warfare

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by what process the Government quantifies the severity of cyber-attacks; and what criteria the Government employs to determine its response to such attacks.

Mr Francis Maude: CERT-UK, the UK’s national Computer Emergency Response Team assesses the severity of cyber attacks against the UK and coordinates the UK’s response to such incidents working with HM Government, Law Enforcement, private industry and overseas partners as the need arises. The UK’s approach to the management of cyber incidents is in line with the wider UK management of national emergencies of any cause and is drawn from the Central Government Arrangements for Responding to an Emergency: Concept of Operations (CONOPS) available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-central-governments-s-concept-of-operations. The assessment of and response to incidents is considered on a case by case basis in line with the principles in the CONOPS and will depend on the actual or potential impact that might be caused.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in his Department were recruited through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Mrs Helen Grant: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mrs Helen Grant: The Department does not typically hold a budget specifically for advertising. Advertising costs are met from a variety of other budgets depending upon their nature and are not typically separately distinguishable. However in 2014-15 we have budgeted up to £10.2m for broadband advertising, promoting the superfast and the voucher campaigns.

Deputy Prime Minister

Electoral Register: Fixed Penalties

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many people have received a fixed penalty notice for failing to register on the electoral register.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This information is not held centrally.

Electoral Register: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2015, Question 221159, if he will make an assessment of the number of 17 year old attainers who transferred from the household electoral register to individual electoral register.

Mr Sam Gyimah: 9 out of 10 electors have been automatically transferred to the new registers under Individual Electoral Registration (IER) No-one registered in the last canvass will lose their right to vote in the General Election. Those electors not automatically transferred to the new register have been carried forward and have until the end of the transition to apply before they are removed. Any electors not confirmed, including attainers, would have been sent an invitation to register, sent reminders and canvassed in person to encourage them to apply. Data relating to IER confirmation results for attainers is available on the following website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-data-matching-to-confirm-electors-in-great-britain

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of people in the Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group area waited more than a week to see a GP in each year since that Group was set up.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of people in the Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group area who have a preferred GP saw another GP when they last went to their surgery in each year since that Group was set up.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Private Sector

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether decisions on whether to publish documents relating to the contracting of NHS services to private providers (a) may and (b) may not prioritise commercial confidentiality over the public interest; and what the rationale for those prioritisation arrangements is.

Jane Ellison: The terms of the NHS Standard Contract allow clinically-led commissioners to publish the documents relating to the contracting of NHS services at their discretion, irrespective of any objections the provider may have. This applies whether the provider is an NHS trust, foundation trust or non-NHS provider.   It would be for the commissioner to determine locally, in line with guidance, whether any of the provisions within a particular contract should be viewed as exempt from Freedom of Information Act requirements, for instance on commercial grounds. Commissioners have access to very detailed guidance about potential exemptions.

NHS: Private Sector

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the extent to which commercial insurance companies are capable of covering the risks associated with private health providers carrying out surgery on NHS contracts.

Dr Daniel Poulter: From 1 April 2013, private health provider organisations became eligible to join the NHS Litigation Authority’s (NHS LA) Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST). Currently, 68 private providers are members of the NHS LA’s CNST, as are all National Health Service trusts.   Any commercial insurance taken out by private providers for the NHS must meet the liability and indemnity requirements of the NHS standard contract. As such, no formal capability assessment has been undertaken by the Department.   In addition, regulation of the United Kingdom insurance industry is the responsibility of the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.

NHS: Private Sector

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms are in place for the NHS to recover the costs of performing revision surgery when repairing the damage caused by failed surgery carried out by outsourced private providers.

Jane Ellison: National Health Service patients should expect to receive the same safe, high quality standards of care, wherever they are treated.   When things go wrong, commissioners can also hold private providers to account through the NHS Standard Contract, which can involve financial sanctions, or the termination of contracts where service improvements are not made.

Health Services

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that UK aid workers who return from work abroad receive effective and accessible healthcare from their local GP.

Dr Daniel Poulter: United Kingdom aid workers who return from work abroad are able to register with their local general practitioner (GP) as soon as they return. They can register as a National Health Service patient with a GP practice by approaching one directly and submitting a written and signed application.

Tongue-tie

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue guidance to NHS maternity services to check routinely for tongue-tie routinely in newborn babies.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many newborn babies were diagnosed with tongue-tie in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to relevant healthcare professionals on the diagnosis of tongue-tie in infants.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the provision of infant feeding specialists on the early detection and treatment of tongue-tie in infants.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department does not set the content and standard of training for healthcare professionals. The issuing of clinical guidance is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).   To assist the NHS, NICE considered the division of tongue tie in depth in July 2004. Current NICE guidelines recommend when considering division of tongue-tie, healthcare professionals should be sure that the parents or carers understand what is involved and consent to the treatment, and the results of the procedure are monitored. In line with NICE guidelines, NHS England expects healthcare professionals to discuss the benefits and risks with the parents or carers of any child.   Ultimately it is for the NHS locally to ensure appropriate services are available for the diagnosis and treatment of tongue-tie. Some babies with tongue-tie can still feed properly and do not need any treatment. If the condition is causing problems with feeding, health professionals should discuss the options with parents and agree the most appropriate form of treatment. For some babies, extra help and support with breastfeeding is all that is needed. If this does not help, the tongue-tie needs to be divided by a registered practitioner.   Health visitors complete a breastfeeding assessment at the new birth visit and if tongue tie is suspected they will refer for assessment through a locally agreed pathway; this is often a paediatrician referral, or some areas have a midwifery led service.   The table below provides counts of finished admission episodes where there was a primary or secondary diagnosis of ankyloglossia ("tongue-tie") for 2011-12 to 2013-14 broken down by patient age.   Common definitions of the word newborn can include babies up until 28 days of age. For clarity the table breaks down our response into the following categories, under 1 day, 1 - 6 days, 7 - 28 days, 1 - 3 months. The table excludes patients older than three months.   It should be noted that this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period.  YearAge group2011-122012-132013-14Less than 1 day7,5058,76211,5721 - 6 days5896777287 - 28 days1,5951,4991,3461 - under 3 months1,2181,0181,214 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   No central assessment of the effect of the provision of infant feeding specialists on the early detection and treatment of tongue-tie in infant has been made. The provision of infant feeding specialists is decided at a local level.

Drugs: Licensing

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect on mortality rates of the provisions of off-patent drugs outside their licensed indications in cases where research supports the use of those drugs.

George Freeman: We have no plans to make such an assessment as national prescribing data does not record the indication for which a drug has been prescribed.   The responsibility for prescribing rests with the doctor or prescriber, taking into account their patient’s needs and relevant clinical guidance. Good communication between practitioners and patients is essential and prescribers should always involve patients in decisions about the treatment proposed. When prescribing outside a drug’s licensed indications, practitioners should explain to their patients why they are proposing that course of action.

Cervical Cancer

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with Public Health England on a national strategy for increasing public awareness of cervical cancer symptoms.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have regular meetings with Public Health England (PHE) about their public awareness campaigns including Be Clear on Cancer. The focus of national Be Clear on Cancer awareness campaigns (led by PHE since 1 April 2013) to date has been on cancers with the largest number of avoidable deaths, compared with countries with the best survival rates. These include breast cancer (particularly targeting older women), bowel cancer, lung cancer, kidney/bladder cancers and stomach/oesophageal cancers. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a “halo” effect from these campaigns which can help to encourage earlier presentation to general practitioners (GPs) with any worrying symptom.   The Department will continue to work with PHE, NHS England and other stakeholders, to keep these campaigns under review and work with relevant experts to see what might be done to tackle awareness of the symptoms of other cancers, such as cervical cancer.   In March 2010, new guidance was published for primary care on the management of young women who present with gynaecological symptoms, following concerns from the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening that young women presenting to primary care with symptoms of cervical cancer were not always being given the best advice. The guidance was produced by a multi-disciplinary group, including professionals, patients and the voluntary sector. It was reviewed by a number of GPs, and was endorsed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Physicians.   The guidance, ‘Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment of young women aged 20-24 with abnormal vaginal bleeding’ can be found at:   http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_113478   Women under 25 who are concerned about their risk of developing cervical cancer should contact their GP.

Cervical Cancer

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will launch targeted campaigns on cervical screening in regions where cervical screening rates have fallen below the national average.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Cervical Screening Programme promotes local public health service initiatives to encourage women to attend cervical screening, such as the Manchester campaign entitled “You Wouldn’t Miss…” – see the link below:   http://goodhealth-manchester.nhs.uk/test/cancer/cervicalCancerPosterCampaign.html Cervical screening rates have been identified as a key issue by the Screening Programme Board. Public Health England is working with NHS England to develop a system of performance improvement through the use of performance floors, and strengthened governance for screening.   Cancer Research UK has undertaken work on improving bowel screening uptake in London, and the Department of Health Behavioural Insight team is developing a project on improving coverage in cervical screening. In addition, major research studies on increasing uptake of bowel and cervical screening are due to report in 2015-16.

Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group last met to discuss Translarna; when it will next meet to discuss that drug; and whether approval for its use can be granted before 1 April 2015.

George Freeman: In order to ensure the maximum number of patients benefit from new innovative treatments coming on stream, choices need to be made about which specialised services and treatments to invest in. Decisions to fund treatments and drugs are made by NHS England based on their effectiveness following clinical trials or other evidence of effectiveness, and taking into account the views of expert clinicians and other stakeholders.   NHS England has advised that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) was due to discuss Translarna and other treatments for rare conditions at its meeting on 3-4 December 2014. Following the cancellation of that meeting, CPAG is not expected to discuss Translarna until the current consultation on how NHS England will prioritise which specialised services and treatments to invest in has concluded. The consultation closes on 27 April 2015.   Any prioritisation which is urgent on clinical grounds will continue to be dealt with quickly through NHS England’s existing procedures. The route of individual funding requests remains the same.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what further discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England and (b) the Health and Social Care Information Centre on the inclusion of musculoskeletal conditions in the care.data programme.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department wrote to the Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK on 12 May 2014 (a copy is attached) saying NHS England would be willing to engage with them to look at the inclusion of musculoskeletal conditions in the care.data programme.   NHS England has had discussions with a range of stakeholders, including Arthritis Research UK, to establish a range of changes are needed to ensure that the dataset suits the needs of all. These changes include expanding the list of codes to cover a wider range of diagnoses, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, and linking to other datasets, not just to hospital data. The care.data programme board has agreed that a public consultation will be conducted after the end of the pathfinder stage. The purpose of this consultation will be to allow all stakeholders the opportunity to have their say about any expansion to the dataset in an open and transparent manner. 



Letter- Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK
(PDF Document, 455.92 KB)

Employment Agencies

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff in his Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department uses recruitment agencies to support permanent appointments to the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The table below shows the number of SCS appointments that have been made where a recruitment agency was involved, for each financial year since 2010-11.   Financial YearStaff Employed2010-1122011-1272012-1322013-1442014 to date2   It should be noted that the above information does not include recruitment numbers for our executive agencies.   Below SCS level, recruitment agencies are only used for components of a recruitment exercise eg. advertising, sifting or assessment tests.

Hearing Impairment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with hearing loss are able to access audiology service regardless of where they live.

Norman Lamb: Local commissioners are responsible for the provision of audiology services with the exception of a small number of specialised services which are commissioned nationally by NHS England. Commissioners should take into consideration assessments of local need and any relevant clinical guidance, which may include guidance from appropriate national bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with a musculoskeletal condition have a care plan.

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of uptake of care plans amongst people with arthritis; and what steps his Department plans to take to widen access to care planning.

Norman Lamb: On 8 January 2015, NHS England published the results from the latest GP Patient Survey. The survey provides information on over 880,000 patients’ overall experience of primary care services and their overall experience of accessing these services. The survey contains the questions, Do you have a written care plan?, and the following table provides the results from patients who identified themselves as having either arthritis or a long term joint problem or a long term back problem .Do you have a written care plan?YesNoDon’t KnowOf patients who have arthritis or a long-term joint problem5.6%90.8%3.6%Of patients who have a long-term back problem4.5%91.2%4.3%   More information about the GP Survey can be found at the following link:   www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/2015/01/08/gp-patient-survey-2014/   The Government’s Mandate to NHS England makes clear that all patients with a long-term condition should be offered a personalised care plan. NHS England is developing resources to support practitioners and commissioners to introduce effective personalised care planning in their local areas, including the recently launched handbooks on personalised care and support planning, which can be found at the following link:   www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/out-frwrk/dom-2/ltc-care/   NHS England is also working with GP practices to identify the 2% of their patient population most at risk of hospital admissions so care plans can be developed for them as the top priority.

Hearing Impairment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on the development of a clinical guideline and quality standard for hearing loss.

George Freeman: NHS England is the lead commissioner for clinical guideline and quality standard for healthcare topics from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has advised that a clinical guideline on hearing loss is currently scheduled for development from spring 2016 and currently anticipates that this will be published in autumn 2018. A quality standard on hearing loss based on the clinical guideline will follow.

Genetics: Screening

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which department or team within NHS England is responsible for the development and implementation of proposals for a national molecular diagnostic testing service in the NHS.

Jane Ellison: NHS England’s Clinical and Scientific Policy and Strategy Team are responsible for policy relating to molecular diagnostics.

Health Services

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England plans to publish full details of the decisions it makes during the prioritisation exercise for new specialised services to be commissioned in 2015-16

Jane Ellison: NHS England is currently consulting on the principles and process by which it makes investment decisions in specialised services. The outcome of future investment decisions taken by NHS England will be published in accordance with the new process once it has been finalised. Views and comments on whether, when and how these decisions are published can be submitted as part of the current consultation. The consultation can be found at:   https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/investing-in-specialised-commissioning

Stem Cells: Donors

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will work in partnership with charitable organisations to increase awareness of stem cell donation among young people.

Jane Ellison: Since 2010 the Department has provided almost £16 million additional funding to improve the provision of cells in the United Kingdom. Bone marrow donors are recruited by NHS Blood and Transplant and the partner charity Anthony Nolan. Departmental funding has allowed these organisations money to recruit young male donors most likely to be suitable to donate bone marrow. Anthony Nolan recruit donors in a variety of ways including groups of university students or ‘Marrow Groups’ that encourage younger individuals to register.

Pain

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential for mindfulness to improve pain management.

Norman Lamb: No such assessment has been made. Mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural therapy is a specific National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved treatment available through Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2015 to Question 221072, if he will conduct a survey of the practice of clinical commissioning groups in respect of capping the total number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies treatment sessions they offer.

Norman Lamb: There is no cap on the number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) sessions for each person. We expect IAPT service providers to have due regard for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Information on the number of therapy sessions delivered through IAPT will be available from April 2015. This will include a monthly report on the maximum, minimum and average number of sessions for each completed episode.

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The communications budget for the Department in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 is split between administration and programme budgets and is listed in the tables below:   Financial YearAdministration budget £2010-11£8,627,547.812011-12£12,108,000.002012-13£10,947,677.362013-14*£ 7,396,545.092014-15£ 7,698,086.00   Financial YearProgramme budget £2010-11£25,557,000.002011-12£45,640,000.002012-13£62,900,999.982013-14**£ 2,325,000.002014-15£ 1,520,000.00   * Additional External Partnerships function was added to the Department’s communications budget from 2013-14 onwards and the Internal Communications function was also added on 1 April 2014.   ** It should be noted the budget between 2010-11 and 2012-13 will include budget for social communications marketing which transferred over to Public Health England on 1 April 2013.

Advertising

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's advertising budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Information for spend on advertising is not available on a separate category code within the Department’s Business Management System centrally. To provide an answer would require a review of each individual contract and invoice payment, and would result in disproportionate cost.

Cancer: Drugs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review the effectiveness of the individual funding request process for cancer medicines.

George Freeman: Individual funding requests for cancer medicines are dealt with through the individual Cancer Drugs Fund request process.   NHS England has operational responsibility for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) and has advised that it follows a standard operating procedure when responding to individual requests to fund cancer treatments. This requires a response to the request within 10 working days following receipt of a complete submission from the clinician.   NHS England’s CDF Standard Operating Procedures document is kept under review and is available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sop-cdf-1114.pdf

Cancer: Drugs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) applications to the Cancer Drugs Fund and (b) individual funding requests for cancer medicines were approved in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14.

George Freeman: Information on the number of applications to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is not held centrally and information on Individual Funding Requests to primary care trusts for cancer medicines was not collected centrally during this period.   NHS England has had oversight of the Fund since April 2013 and publishes information on patient numbers funded through the national CDF list and through individual Cancer Drugs Fund requests (ICDFRs) routinely on its website at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/   Information on the number of patients1 accessing the Fund in these years is shown below:Number of patients funded in2010-112Number of patients funded in 2011-122Number of patients funded in 2012-132Number of patients funded in 2013-143Number of patients funded in 2014-153,4England2,78011,79815,45619,56011,308   1 Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the CDF 2 Source: Information provided to the Department by strategic health authorities 3 Source: NHS England 4 To end September 2014

Liver Cancer

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of progress on reducing hepatitis C-related liver cancers and mortality since the 2004 Action Plan for hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: The most recent data published by Public Health England in its hepatitis C in the UK 2014 Report, show that cases of hepatitis C related end stage liver disease and liver cancer are increasing. NHS England and Public Health England are working together to address this by developing a joint framework to improve the management of this disease. This framework will be launched in due course.

Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2015 to Question 221072, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number and proportion of patients who have (a) diabetes, (b) anxiety disorder, (c) depression, (d) schizophrenia and (e) personality disorders and are not being treated.

Norman Lamb: We do collect data centrally on each of these conditions. The Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) reports the numbers of patients in England with a recorded diagnosis of diabetes aged over 17 years old. This is published on an annual basis in October. The QOF 2013/14 results are available at:   http://qof.hscic.gov.uk/index.asp   Also, the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) covers the proportion of patients getting the eight National Institute for Health and Care Excellence care processes for diabetes. More detail about the NDA is available at:   http://www.hscic.gov.uk/nda   The Government commissions the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey as the basis of statistics on prevalence of both treated and untreated mental health conditions. The conditions covered include anxiety, depression, psychosis and personality disorder. The latest version of this survey is currently underway, and results of the previous survey, carried out in 2007 are available at:   http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB02931/adul-psyc-morb-res-hou-sur-eng-2007-rep.pdf

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2015 to Question 221072, what recent assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to reduce the alcohol dependent population and to help more people recover from alcohol problems.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities and their health and wellbeing board partners are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local populations.   Each year, every local authority carries out a joint strategic needs assessment to determine the needs of their local area. This provides the basis for planning a full range of alcohol services from early intervention and prevention, through to alcohol treatment services to meet the need in their areas. Local authorities commission alcohol treatment services using the ring-fenced public health grant, and any other funds that they have secured for this purpose.   Local authorities are assisted in this work by Public Health England (PHE) which provides a set of resources as well as bespoke support from PHE’s regional centre teams.   Numbers of people accessing alcohol treatment are increasing. The number of people starting alcohol treatment in 2013-14 was 80,929, up from 67,912 in 2008-09. Waiting times for alcohol treatment are improving too, and the latest figures (2013-14) show that 93% of people waited less than three weeks for their first intervention, up from 78% in 2008-09. These figures suggest access to alcohol treatment is improving.   The Department has commissioned the University of Sheffield, in partnership with Kings College London and the University of Manchester, to develop a model for estimating requirements for specialist alcohol treatment. The study is expected to report in late summer 2015.

Opiates: Misuse

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2015 to Question 221072, how many and what proportion of opiate users were receiving treatment in each year since 2011-12.

Jane Ellison: Figures for the number of people receiving treatment for opiate problems for the years requested are in the table below.   Numbers of opiate users in treatment 2011-12 to 2013-14   Drug2011-122012-132013-14Opiates96,34393,43491,560Opiates and crack63,19961,62061,353Total opiates159,542155,054152,913 Source: National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS)   The most recent drug prevalence estimates suggest that there were 256,153 opiate users in England in 2011-12, and 159,542 of these (62%) received treatment in the same year. There are no prevalence estimates for 2012-13 and 2013-14, so equivalent proportions are not available for these years.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2015 to Question 221072, if he will make it his policy to collect data (a) on the average time a GP spends with a patient with a mental illness and (b) which may be used to monitor the quality of relationships between doctors and patients in other ways.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Data relating to the length of individual consultations with general practitioners is not collected centrally.

Mental Illness: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2015, to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central to Question 221804, when his Department plans to complete the prevalence survey on children with mental health problems.

Norman Lamb: A date has not yet been set for completion of a new prevalence survey of children and young people’s mental health. The timing will be determined primarily by the procurement process for commissioning a new prevalence survey. Once a successful bidder is in place, there will be further stakeholder engagement work to determine the exact questions and topics the survey will cover. Our experience of the procurement process for the 2004 prevalence survey suggests the date for completion of a new prevalence survey is unlikely to be before 2017.   The duration of the survey will be determined through open competition. Based on the experience of the previous survey from 2004, and other major population surveys, we anticipate it will take at least two years to develop, conduct and analyse the survey.